Join us for a special recital by renowned Polish concert organist, Dr. Michał Szostak. We are excited to finally host him at the Erben. Dr. Szostak was originally booked to play a recital in March 2020, when his performance got pre-empted by the pandemic lockdown. Back on tour in North America, Dr. Szostak brings a fresh program of Bach, Beethoven, Chopin, and improvisations. Don’t miss his appearance at the historic Erben organ!

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Program:

1. J.S. Bach (1685-1750), Fantasia in G Major, BWV 572

2. J.S. Bach, Air on G-string, from Orchestral Suite in D Major, BWV 1068

3. Improvisation, Italian Concerto: Allegro-Adagio-Allegro

4. J.S. Bach, Nun komm der Heiden Heiland, BWV 659

5. Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1826), Allegro con brio, from the 5th Symphony in C Minor, Op. 67

6. Frédéric Chopin (1810-1849):

• Praeludium E Minor, Op. 28, No 4
• Mazurka B flat Major, Op. 7, No 1
• Praeludium B Minor, Op. 28, No 6

7. Improvisation, Symphonic Final

About the Artist:

Michał Szostak studied organ playing and improvisation at the Fryderyk Chopin University of Music in Warsaw, Poland, and at the Pontificio Istituto Ambrosiano di Musica Sacra in Milan, Italy. In February 2019, he obtained an academic degree of Doctor of Musical Arts in Organ at the Fryderyk Chopin University of Music, in the class of Andrzej Chorosiński. He regularly participates in master classes on organ works and liturgical music. He has performed in Europe, North America and Africa: Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Great Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Nigeria, Poland, Ukraine, and the USA. His articles have appeared in Britain’s “The Organ”, and America’s “The Diapason” and “The Vox Humana”. Since 2013 he has been a member of The Royal College of Organists, England.

A message from Dr. Szostak:

In planning my international concert tours I always look for interesting instruments. I want to be able to feel the whisper of the past and the shadow of people and their cultural achievements. Even the deepest research and the greatest books are not able to give us as much as we can take from real contact with the historical artifacts. My first contact with Erben organ in NYC was via Internet, but from the first moment I saw a beautiful example of my searching goals: a magnificent organ in beautiful building – with great history in each detail. When I read about the actions which are focused on restoring this beautiful machine with soul, I wanted to help in this uneasy process. I know – from the other perspective – how hard it is to gain attention and funds on projects like this. I hope that together we can put a small brick in this huge project and be part of a community of people who are sensitive for the most valuable cultural works like the Erben organ.

Polish:

Planując moje miedzynarodowe koncerty, zawsze poszukuję interesujących instrumentów. O ile to możliwe, chcę móc poczuć szept przeszłości i zobaczyć cień minionych pokoleń i ich kulturowych osiągnięć. Mój pierwszy kontakt z organami Erbena w NYC nastąpił dzięki Internetowi, jednakże od pierwszej chwili zobaczyłem wspaniały przykład celu, jaki mi przyświeca: niesamowite organy w przepięknym wnętrzu – ze wspaniałą historią w każdym detalu. Kiedy przeczytałem o działaniach zmierzających do restauracji tej wspaniałej maszyny z duszą, chciałem pomóc w tym niełatwym procesie. Doskonale wiem – z innej perspektywy – jak trudno jest skupić uwagę otoczenia i zdobyć fundusze na taki projekt. Ufam, że wspólnie uda nam się dołożyć choćby małą cegiełkę w tym ogromnym projekcie i być częścią społeczności ludzi wrażliwych na najbardziej wartościowe dzieła kultury, jakim bez wątpienia są organy Erbena.